A woman with terminal cancer who traded her funeral for a party

“The best night of my life”.

This is how Linda Williams, a 76-year-old woman with terminal cancer, described the party she decided to organize instead of her funeral.

Williams, who was diagnosed last year, says she “hates funerals” and would rather “dance the night away” with her friends to say goodbye.

The woman from High Wycombe, a town northwest of London, started organizing her party after receiving the news.

“I had a lot of fun,” said his former tai chi instructor.

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“I’ve never been to a good funeral, they’re miserable events, so I decided I wanted one. celebration of my lifeWilliams told the BBC’s Charlie Jones.

“I almost died two weeks early, so I made a cardboard cutout (of myself) just in case, but I have to be there with all my friends.”

in the 1940s

Williams has always loved the Spitfire (a British single-seat fighter used by the Royal Air Force -RAF- and many other Allied countries during World War II).

Her parents were in the RAF and she grew up near their base at Walters Ash, watching the planes fly over her house.

After receiving the diagnosis, Williams began to write a list of his wishes, the first of which was to fly in a Spitfire. It was “crazy, fantastic and more than I ever wanted”.

What followed was a entertainment set in the 40swhich he did in October, and included six shows, a raffle, Union Jack cake and beef sandwiches.

“The theme of my party was ‘Battle of Britain’ which was perfect because the 1940s are all about coming together when you have nothing and sacrificing yourself to keep your freedom,” Williams explained.

For the occasion, he dressed in the pilot’s clothes of the time, with a parachute on his back as if he had just jumped out of a plane. His 124 guests could enter the celebration only after entering the words puzzle.

However, she almost did not come to the big event because her health began to deteriorate.

“I almost died just before, but I thought, ‘Whatever, I’ll get there. I decided I would and everyone had a great time,” says Williams.

“I was so excited I got there at 6, even though the party didn’t start until 7:30. My legs were swollen, but I still managed to dance the night away and received lots of loving hugs,” she says.

– I didn’t start until 1 in the morning, adrenaline caught me, and then I slept for almost two days.

dance friends

Williams is very grateful to her friends who organized the party. She met many of them at the Lindy Hop dance class she started attending when she was 69 years old.

One of them, Jo Oxlade, said it was fantastic to be involved in organizing such a special celebration.

“Linda was very clear with us from the beginning: this party will be with or without her“, he says.

“He told us, ‘If I’m there that night, I want this song, but if I die, I want another song,’ so the instructions were very clear.”

A few months ago, Williams decided she had “had enough of hospitals” and decided to stay at home, with the help of nurses from the non-governmental palliative care organization Rennie Grove Hospice Care.

Williams credits her “wonderful” nurses for keeping her alive long enough to make it to the party.

“Lin is a fighter, she made sure she pulled through and made it to her party. She always sees the positive in life and it’s a real pleasure to take care of her,” said Fiona O’Neill, one of the nurses at the hospice.

“She is an amazing and inspiring person who we are lucky to have as a friend.”